tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65090077311931445612024-03-04T22:12:08.062-06:00Mrs. Gillespie's thoughtsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-23327167621231694552013-07-04T14:41:00.000-05:002013-07-04T15:47:51.436-05:00Moving to new site: Giggles and Chalk<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy 4th of July! I just love our country and all of the celebrations associated with the love of the good ole' USA- Souza music, sparklers, picnics, family, baseball, parades, and fireworks (as long as they are done when I hit the bed....!). My aren't we blessed!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am redirecting traffic to my new blog: <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://gigglesandchalk.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Giggles and Chalk</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why? Well, it's a long story...... I am still "Mrs. Gillespie", but my marriage is about to be over and done. Kaput. Never in a million years thought that would happen. Seriously. But it has. A few months ago, my husband told me he's always been gay. Shocked me to the absolute core. We have 4 children! He is not willing to try and change, work things out somehow, or have any counseling with that goal. He has insisted on going our separate ways. We are working together for our wonderful children and he will support me forever if need be. Let's face it- teachers just don't make much money! :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, that's why it's time for me to change my blog name. And web address. It's just a personal thing and it will help me move on. God has been incredibly faithful through this past year and I know He has great things in store for me. I am going to put on my big girl panties, slap on my high heels, and invite great and wonderful things into my life. And God will be with me each step of the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, go ahead and jump on over to<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://gigglesandchalk.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Giggles and Chalk</a> </span>and follow me over there. Good times, I tell you, good times......!! :)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-37875734950188294832013-06-25T10:15:00.000-05:002013-06-25T10:15:27.502-05:00Compliment Jar <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Creating a sense of community is important in the classroom (and in our individual families). During the year, I helped foster our classroom community through compliments, having a servant's heart towards helping each other, and writing thank you notes to outside helpers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also wanted to give my students a unique end of the year gift. Like all of you, I don't have much spare time and couldn't devote the hours to the lovely projects out there in Pinterestland! I turned to technology and created word shapes filled with the compliments of each other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During the last 2 weeks of school, I introduced the Compliment Jar! Actually it was not a jar, but a lovely empty Kleenex</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> box....! (I came up with the idea kind've quickly, and grabbed what I could find!!!) I filled a separate bin with cut up scraps of paper for students to use. It wasn't fancy, but it was the compliments that counted! I told my students to think of a fellow student and write down a compliment on a piece of paper and fold it into the box. They were to include the person's name, but NOT their own name. It was more fun to be anonymous. As a bonus, I found out which boy was "cute"!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then during the last week of school, I led the class into a group compliment session. I gave each student a paper with their classmate's names and instructed them to write a couple of words to describe that classmate next to the classmate's name. I helped them a bit, writing some examples onto the board. I told them they couldn't use the same word for every person...and it had to be encouraging and nice. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After awhile, my students asked if they could include my name on their paper. That touched my heart! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I collected papers and the Compliment Jar slips and entered the key character words into a site called "wordle". The words are saved into practically any shape/color you want. I printed them, signed my name, the date, and our school's name, and placed them into page protectors. On the last day of school, I called each student up to give them their gift and compliment them in front of their peers. It was moving and a gift they will hopefully treasure for years to come. I know some of the students were going to rush home and frame them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is the my wordle from the student's kind words:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfU9ktK1Knh65GKHL83OoEVJxUKrmgI1G1c1YLfazpLTfk7Wr8YUJUIDwq6GSNaaNRyXl011rdQWmfen1Y-YA_uqcm9VcyH_XDYKX_IRLNxs-bBeAYG7mmj_EqbOzv6kfmzgRH2ahLPv0/s1600/IMG_2281.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfU9ktK1Knh65GKHL83OoEVJxUKrmgI1G1c1YLfazpLTfk7Wr8YUJUIDwq6GSNaaNRyXl011rdQWmfen1Y-YA_uqcm9VcyH_XDYKX_IRLNxs-bBeAYG7mmj_EqbOzv6kfmzgRH2ahLPv0/s640/IMG_2281.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's in the shape of an apple and I had each student sign it for me. To make it simple (and to decrease any disappointment in the children), I created every one in the same color palette I made every girl's into a heart shape and every boy's into the United States. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a link to try it for yourself: <a href="http://www.wordle.net/" target="_blank">wordle</a></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-20691440913163929282013-06-25T09:53:00.000-05:002013-06-25T09:53:56.994-05:00Children and reading<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been running through my first year teaching, sprinting to the end, and I am now pausing to catch my breath. School was out 3 weeks ago and I have packed up my classroom (summer school was NOT an option for me, and my room will be used), remodeled my bedroom and family room, and spent time with my kiddos relaxing at the neighborhood pool. My youngest talked me into buying a family pass and I now know he is a genius. Let's see, my children can burn energy and enjoy their childhood while trained professionals keep them from drowning, AND I can bring my ever growing stack of books to leisurely</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> read while I even get some badly needed sun? :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh yes, children and reading~ why are children not reading? There is no passion. There are other things to steal their time and children do not see the value in books. Yes, there are those rare book addicts, but as a general rule, children read in school to get their grade, get by, and move on. I want more than that for them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the beginning of the year, I introduced the "book shelf" to my students. This was a living bulletin board that was to run around the entire perimeter of our room. The rule was simple: every time a student read a book (anywhere), they were to fill out a "book spine" that included the title of the book and the student's name. The students were motivated and thrilled. Their goal was to not only cover our room, but to leak out into the hall, showing the entire school their reading strengths....! :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is an close up of a section of our book shelf:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPNQStwRa01iUiqD-g2aqkbtROZISY8pZ6AC_zBK1JhvETiaDbOXPDkq7g6QoEiKMPWWHk1jsZFwGJJwqz2mvnHD77Qbb2wc96kOujaG-hfaG7cz2qBLVN5TWPaLzmOFQSkZ42FAuIvKQ/s1600/IMG_2260.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPNQStwRa01iUiqD-g2aqkbtROZISY8pZ6AC_zBK1JhvETiaDbOXPDkq7g6QoEiKMPWWHk1jsZFwGJJwqz2mvnHD77Qbb2wc96kOujaG-hfaG7cz2qBLVN5TWPaLzmOFQSkZ42FAuIvKQ/s400/IMG_2260.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YFakYmDQrFiRU5xQ38tk5I7XU8iDOuW1j6Bb_YAZnR1_Or77tr9eLrB8uQ_8qH3pA35-0q36C_BaSCx5z_HI7nWgHuuHaoAMt-F139G4Sqw3-wohfo4UFhApCU1oa-dlrN94qYZMg-Uw/s1600/IMG_2262.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YFakYmDQrFiRU5xQ38tk5I7XU8iDOuW1j6Bb_YAZnR1_Or77tr9eLrB8uQ_8qH3pA35-0q36C_BaSCx5z_HI7nWgHuuHaoAMt-F139G4Sqw3-wohfo4UFhApCU1oa-dlrN94qYZMg-Uw/s400/IMG_2262.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My read-alouds to the class were also put up on the wall; the students simply insisted!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the year progressed, more and more books were read....(including students who were not "officially" in my class, but who were with me for a couple of weeks at a time...they wanted to read and join in the fun!)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNvTEGlW81GznvNcgjq3nyJghudh27Sa5-nC02JOTqmo80gIqldzDgA7RkGdxH_LJSnmQhCqLDO2Ioo8qm8xgC7Uauc9Qw8buVyU0NaSrLHB0Nt2-6a4vZ3YtluqFP2MrGJGan2fp1-vi/s1600/IMG_2264.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNvTEGlW81GznvNcgjq3nyJghudh27Sa5-nC02JOTqmo80gIqldzDgA7RkGdxH_LJSnmQhCqLDO2Ioo8qm8xgC7Uauc9Qw8buVyU0NaSrLHB0Nt2-6a4vZ3YtluqFP2MrGJGan2fp1-vi/s400/IMG_2264.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPrP3TnVn7971KOBFp-O4HA74L5xzvgfmky_5oBAih8ZL2k_FaFItHisOVJZW7U1sAG1CYWKSG-gwvxy5QkJRGhCTohvpgsa4aFUegrR00ozUrZ6sItC9poBkr39AZJ12nAOuh7PK48jr/s1600/IMG_2257.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPrP3TnVn7971KOBFp-O4HA74L5xzvgfmky_5oBAih8ZL2k_FaFItHisOVJZW7U1sAG1CYWKSG-gwvxy5QkJRGhCTohvpgsa4aFUegrR00ozUrZ6sItC9poBkr39AZJ12nAOuh7PK48jr/s400/IMG_2257.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5UKpHdVbBUE_L3_ExIanBfQdJFgu8XDjjDtbHTTmUtqg6x3WMBnN-LJ6LqBy_yqUMFsHtRmbYlB4uwtJOcifcEX1zzHaQWgskw3A9FzygRcgqiBTQBz0IVlvogdQyH_gFeAzPH-U2fFq/s1600/IMG_2258.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5UKpHdVbBUE_L3_ExIanBfQdJFgu8XDjjDtbHTTmUtqg6x3WMBnN-LJ6LqBy_yqUMFsHtRmbYlB4uwtJOcifcEX1zzHaQWgskw3A9FzygRcgqiBTQBz0IVlvogdQyH_gFeAzPH-U2fFq/s400/IMG_2258.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSKCUTyuDXA6jN3evg7_dgJk2LkQQytsJDk40IuljItpAF5Uv_tKEeb54G6atzf4gfi1JP3PxWTQOMxx8oikGDHoFIktDIUYHvVuks6X_CH-nwesly1RbC9PjqSlOL-lt_Xm9V7KTa4_p/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSKCUTyuDXA6jN3evg7_dgJk2LkQQytsJDk40IuljItpAF5Uv_tKEeb54G6atzf4gfi1JP3PxWTQOMxx8oikGDHoFIktDIUYHvVuks6X_CH-nwesly1RbC9PjqSlOL-lt_Xm9V7KTa4_p/s400/IMG_2252.JPG+%25282%2529.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is where it ended. We counted over 250 books! Quite an accomplishment! Keep in mind, I work in a remedial math and reading school for students who are behind in a normal school setting. I had a classroom library filled to the brim with over a thousand books, and I created time during the day to simply read. During independent reading, I let them read anywhere in the room. I would confer with them about reading, answer questions, and simply let them be. If we are to teach the importance of reading, yet not allow ample class time to read, what messages are we sending?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Along those lines, I have fallen in love with a new book which is validating my thinking regarding children and reading:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nE6aOkFehZ23s8_uMzKyulKoAAWWtj6B_e2fTO7ZZTW8wu-iht_TXG9eAJrkEoQJojzJyAT53M7KMnWDlZ1t6hTQwcVffQ8Dbd23pqUB9rLa7saCGPai_MDNPIF-zOTQrDW39ncu9o_C/s1600/IMG_2438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nE6aOkFehZ23s8_uMzKyulKoAAWWtj6B_e2fTO7ZZTW8wu-iht_TXG9eAJrkEoQJojzJyAT53M7KMnWDlZ1t6hTQwcVffQ8Dbd23pqUB9rLa7saCGPai_MDNPIF-zOTQrDW39ncu9o_C/s400/IMG_2438.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you read it? You must. It's an easy read. Curl up on your favorite chair, grab a pencil to mark up all those great points/ideas, and enjoy. It will inspire you to allow your students to simply read. Instruct them too, absolutely, but let them choose books and step into the world of adventure.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-16232122484819383172013-02-22T10:59:00.000-06:002013-02-22T10:59:21.462-06:00Valentine's Day rocks<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know I am a day late and a dollar short, but I had GREAT success with my Valentine's Day student gift. You can use it next year, or for another time (like the end of the year, beginning of the year, etc)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I LOVE Pinterest (you can follow me through my button to your right), because there are SO many valuable hints, ideas, etc from great people! I saw a pin with a simple rock and 2 googly eyes. The note included a stamp which said "You Rock". I thought that was TOO cute! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is my step by step version. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Materials: rocks (outside or from a bag)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">glue (I used Elmer's) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I didn't have a stamp, so I created a quick note on the computer. I added the hearts after I printed it and before I copied it onto pink construction paper:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3Lror_zyIB5ME7p46qQPuFjX8Btkh726zL4shz45xkoFzGACBeeVz9h89XI87Kcq9NXzTGEZolx65wT_brYVbjCdXzG1BcYTTBd1ok8x1RseInjlrEU5ONIVcR-Wnce241OmhdUHXia4/s1600/IMG_1963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3Lror_zyIB5ME7p46qQPuFjX8Btkh726zL4shz45xkoFzGACBeeVz9h89XI87Kcq9NXzTGEZolx65wT_brYVbjCdXzG1BcYTTBd1ok8x1RseInjlrEU5ONIVcR-Wnce241OmhdUHXia4/s400/IMG_1963.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are my rocks. I had GREAT FUN choosing where to glue the eyeballs. Hint: choose a fun place like down to one side, etc. Each rock has it's own personality!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5X_N0m1x7UDtUz52i4SOdh4qOUtAWHZvOFifBnG3N4ZLXwNNUV09UUyrHuHkUFCB93uCtrshmRn0w1lsy4lCN5grpPjGRM70l_O7hUoaXNBZjnIJcGOTDRn-E8sz07LrkfmRyHXpQ4ru/s1600/IMG_1965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5X_N0m1x7UDtUz52i4SOdh4qOUtAWHZvOFifBnG3N4ZLXwNNUV09UUyrHuHkUFCB93uCtrshmRn0w1lsy4lCN5grpPjGRM70l_O7hUoaXNBZjnIJcGOTDRn-E8sz07LrkfmRyHXpQ4ru/s400/IMG_1965.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is what I gave to my students:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxX58gARIMYEu36nfUX2s-0A6hPONQ3Z13ybXCsh7S3hnpT5z10wtWKjVyRm5TMWkyaKvPFrkHqA1FOGbyHFW9U90KnxGHl4RlJiv3p7TIuxrGB9edll-cBKgTR5NArh58cRIY4pGnFVr/s1600/IMG_1967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxX58gARIMYEu36nfUX2s-0A6hPONQ3Z13ybXCsh7S3hnpT5z10wtWKjVyRm5TMWkyaKvPFrkHqA1FOGbyHFW9U90KnxGHl4RlJiv3p7TIuxrGB9edll-cBKgTR5NArh58cRIY4pGnFVr/s400/IMG_1967.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This last one was my favorite. I kept it. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Needless to say, these were a HUGE hit with not only my class of 3rd and 4th graders, but also to 5th - 8th graders. When I gave some to the older students, their eyes lit up. I heard thank you many times over. It's nice to look a student in the face and say, "You Rock!". That's what I did when I placed one into their hands. They all beamed in response. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The eyes stay on pretty good, unless you handle the rock constantly. I initially tried my hot glue gun, but the eyes peeled off immediately. Elmer's glue works. But then, I'm an adult who leaves their rock friends alone. :)</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-51517197854021110812013-01-05T12:12:00.000-06:002013-01-05T12:12:00.381-06:00Preposition FREEBIEWhen I was in 4th grade, my teacher MADE us memorize the entire list of prepositions. I thought she was so mean! Well guess what? I still remember them and I happen to also LOVE grammar! I guess teachers are right after all.... :)<br />
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I recently created a preposition list for students and teachers and you can find it <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Prepositions-masterstudent-list" style="color: #e06666;" target="_blank">here</a>. It's free and ready for you to download and use! The link will take you to my little new store on TPT. Don't you just LOVE that site? I sure do!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQpz6NwnJPXKJcTRaCeSytXwRslYELcfSU0cjj2dO_gY34vKGJkyI9ouWkLskjnfxxPgXzRsp1f3pTg1VvKcE4m94E9tZ_MnJNZyGpS6-Yx4KLkIbTulKbNDN2F8Yl9BCDpoeb5I003-6/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQpz6NwnJPXKJcTRaCeSytXwRslYELcfSU0cjj2dO_gY34vKGJkyI9ouWkLskjnfxxPgXzRsp1f3pTg1VvKcE4m94E9tZ_MnJNZyGpS6-Yx4KLkIbTulKbNDN2F8Yl9BCDpoeb5I003-6/s400/Untitled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-34057660903755079832013-01-04T20:08:00.003-06:002013-01-04T20:08:38.173-06:00Divisibility Rules<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, it's my last day off. Not really, because I have the weekend, but on Monday, it's back to school. I'm excited, but I do like lounging around with my coffee and slippers in the mornings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I created a student cheat sheet for divisibility rules today. You can find it in my TPT (teachers pay teachers) store <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Gillespie-2080" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">here</span></a>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNnWHo779YHEOQNKVeFzZez2IBhZ6w35hkN_fMRuRrcG7qqxl0ZaXITBuMF29jMSK8iCgN5yIbBE7g6tHq604v5QvZf0Vb20VIopigvdTaTArXY85uYRP0s5rPyNQm1BPCFfwqSNRPa7v/s1600/divisibility+cover+page.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNnWHo779YHEOQNKVeFzZez2IBhZ6w35hkN_fMRuRrcG7qqxl0ZaXITBuMF29jMSK8iCgN5yIbBE7g6tHq604v5QvZf0Vb20VIopigvdTaTArXY85uYRP0s5rPyNQm1BPCFfwqSNRPa7v/s400/divisibility+cover+page.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am using student notebooks in math class and this will make a great entry for them. My students love using their student notebooks to remind them how to complete different math operations. I happen to be a HUGE believer in anchor charts (documenting learning in general) having a <strike>crutch </strike> place to remind yourself how to do things, etc. The student notebooks came from Runde's Room and you can find it on her TPT page <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Math-Journal" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">here</span></a>. I have tweaked some of the entries to fit the needs of my students, but the product came from her!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a great day! :)</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-72002280362467139162012-12-17T11:41:00.001-06:002013-01-10T19:28:16.636-06:00Video of my class<div style="text-align: center;">
My class was visited by some reporters and we are now online! My students had great fun viewing themselves today! Over a month ago, our city's newspaper reporters visited our school and filmed my classroom for about an hour. The children were wonderful and performed beautifully. Well, to my surprise, the story is now on their website, along with a print story on the front page! </div>
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My school is a remedial school for students who are behind in reading and math. We have language arts all morning. Enjoy!! :)<br />
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click <a href="http://www.omaha.com/article/20121217/NEWS/712179957/1685#ops-puts-new-stress-on-teaching-phonics" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-35188243186723959252012-10-02T20:13:00.001-05:002012-10-02T20:13:25.648-05:00Pinterest<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I added my Pinterest board to <a href="http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/08/are-you-gold-star-pinner.html" target="_blank">Rachel Lynette</a>'s wonderful blog list. It's a list of teachers who pin MOSTLY free and "full of information" tidbits. She said (and I 100% agree) there are disturbing numbers of people who are sending out commercials through their pins. It's ok to have some pins which cost money (let's face it...some of our favorite things are from TPT and they aren't free), but the majority of our pins should be "ready to access, free to the general public" kind of pins. Can I get an Amen? :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the post:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/08/are-you-gold-star-pinner.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i426/reallyrachel/GoldStarPinnerButton.jpg" /></a></center>
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Check it out! There are many wonderful people to follow......!!!</center>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-82811283490835771772012-09-23T19:54:00.004-05:002012-09-23T19:54:55.003-05:00Class Stationary<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Way before I began teaching, I combed through hundreds of books, magazines, and sites for teaching ideas. One idea I loved from the start was creating a class stationary page. This page is used for classroom thank-you's, notes from the teacher to a student, or whenever one wants to show off their awesome class!!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During the first week of school, I had the children draw themselves in a tiny box. I told them to draw only their head and to sign their name as well. Surprisingly, I only had 2 students who needed new boxes to start completely over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's what you need to do: cut approximately 3x3 or 2x2 inch squares (one per child, plus you), and find one blank 8x10 paper. Instruct the children to draw their face and sign their name on their square. If they draw with a heaver force, it shows up better. Tape the portraits around the edge of your paper. When you copy this, you might have to experiment with increasing or decreasing the light/dark option. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's an example of 2 student's self portraits:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouXOfe0nFM3b0_wGcBumNTyFYH8FX567ySS4A4GN66OTScymBXc43OLZlK70JMYg-9hm2wnZf7pCKVdwT2u09OBeAiCKP5MyFs4DeEsVZiu4ncjdBjaum63QbYZylFVg9-R2y9Yjex4mJ/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouXOfe0nFM3b0_wGcBumNTyFYH8FX567ySS4A4GN66OTScymBXc43OLZlK70JMYg-9hm2wnZf7pCKVdwT2u09OBeAiCKP5MyFs4DeEsVZiu4ncjdBjaum63QbYZylFVg9-R2y9Yjex4mJ/s400/IMG_1480.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's our finished product!! Didn't it turn out cute??? Because I only have 8 students in my morning class, I added myself and a drawing of our school. If I had a regular class (meaning, more students and they stay with me all day long), I would add them across the top and bottom of the page. I would also have a heading like "Mrs. Gillespie's class" or something catchy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZazNfz1FpVUeVHqHk2v_eh8ddAXLvhztzS9JLCEQiJMThoQKXJgAZKLHxz15_GHGJQcmbBKQsZ8dwo9NDk-_qJeLmQXsy7qZ83p8ElB5Ba5V7xSyxLlzcgSfR1Lu9dkPHqvbvzp25Rig/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZazNfz1FpVUeVHqHk2v_eh8ddAXLvhztzS9JLCEQiJMThoQKXJgAZKLHxz15_GHGJQcmbBKQsZ8dwo9NDk-_qJeLmQXsy7qZ83p8ElB5Ba5V7xSyxLlzcgSfR1Lu9dkPHqvbvzp25Rig/s400/IMG_1478.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-18107002349875433042012-09-23T19:33:00.000-05:002012-09-23T19:33:40.433-05:00Student Wipe-Off Pages<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been SOOOO busy lately. What teacher isn't? Especially teachers who have children of their own who are also incredibly social and busy bees? Oh and my golden retriever has been ill. AAHHH!! Poor girl. Anyhow, I have finished 5 weeks of school and the time is flying by (enter airplane sound). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I love Pinterest. There, I admitted it. There are so many awesome ideas circling around. It's almost like that fantasy we had as children: you're outside and it is raining candy...just reach up and grab all you want. With Pinterest, you can pin all the ideas you want. For free. Wow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Anyhow, I made some "student wipe-off page things" (what do you call them???) from a Pinterest teacher.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCqKPtTbO3eU2b0ujcibky85UewM_d8cL6ZWGLM9gCIPVpcoD7AdfZ0DCK3zSl6ABAzTp2KmxA7q0OT34E5OehsJB2bxP2pmreMRM1hO-nd2yQUsdPxVVxRq7J4Nf1mvOUVYijaNYvmMc/s1600/IMG_1454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCqKPtTbO3eU2b0ujcibky85UewM_d8cL6ZWGLM9gCIPVpcoD7AdfZ0DCK3zSl6ABAzTp2KmxA7q0OT34E5OehsJB2bxP2pmreMRM1hO-nd2yQUsdPxVVxRq7J4Nf1mvOUVYijaNYvmMc/s320/IMG_1454.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was super easy to make. The only trouble I had was making the duct tape "even" on the front and the back. I eventually gave up on perfection, because guess what? There will be a PAGE in the middle and you won't even see the front vs the back!! :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Here's what you need: clear report covers (they are very sturdy, unlike page protectors), 1-2 roles of cute duct tape (one roll makes about 12). That's it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> These can be used for any worksheet imaginable.
Oh, one thing: you need to decide which side you want to remain open. I left one of the small sides open. You could also leave the large side open. It's your choice.
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy creating!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4McJHXjuYe1VysQ7iDYeVyKtGKc4j_jge44P3OnoGH4kScoq4ol0xaY0V9l4McsvX777EYhtt6QwZXWhzdUkJZPy4pVpDytLYbDC2gIcT4fkbiNKuyCPqCmDTQxoRbCpFUHpyPENHOrs/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4McJHXjuYe1VysQ7iDYeVyKtGKc4j_jge44P3OnoGH4kScoq4ol0xaY0V9l4McsvX777EYhtt6QwZXWhzdUkJZPy4pVpDytLYbDC2gIcT4fkbiNKuyCPqCmDTQxoRbCpFUHpyPENHOrs/s200/IMG_1455.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-24557731058427940822012-09-01T16:48:00.000-05:002012-09-01T16:52:35.529-05:00My Classroom Tour<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6aIC7r0cutw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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I just love my classroom! It's cozy and happy. My school is a remedial school and we focus on phonics (reading) and math. Because of this, each class has a maximum of 12 students. <br />
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I recently took a video of my room for some family members and decided I should share it here on my blog (for no other reason then to keep it in a safe place for myself!).<br />
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This is my first classroom and we had strict guidelines to follow: nice and neat; not too much on the walls for those ADHD kiddos. The focus in this school really is catching the students up and returning them to their regular schools...hence the classroom wall regulations...BUT, I managed to add a little of myself into the room anyhow. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-813775092621218112012-08-25T18:48:00.000-05:002012-08-25T18:48:20.992-05:00My new job!!!I am thrilled to be teaching this fall at a lovely non-profit private school! I am teaching grade 3 and 4 in the morning for language arts (it's intensive for these kiddos who are behind in their regular schools), 5th grade math in the afternoon, and then back with my 3rd and 4th grade kiddos for unit studies the last hour of the day. <br />
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New teachers work non-stop, don't they? At least this one does! I just finished my first week of teaching and I was simply exhausted this morning! Whew! I can tell you that I could feel the weight lift slightly after a successful first day. When the rubber meets the road and the planning has worked, it's a relief, isn't it? I can see how the day is going to work and I am successfully putting my giant puzzle together. Nothin' like a puzzle with no picture, hugh? :)<br />
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I had a great week and I love my class. They are precious and wonderfully sweet. They are also funny and I laugh with them a lot. I love to encourage them and help them figure things out. They are pumped about my ideas and seem to really love being together. We are a happy group and I am excited to see them grow over this next year.<br />
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My heart is full! Now to get back to grading and planning for next week...you mean I have to go back and do it all over again next week??????? :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-48791721195265745242012-07-16T12:17:00.000-05:002012-07-16T13:10:59.939-05:00Book Nook<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Time to organize my library! I purchased some super cute teacher labels from Vista Print. Their shipping is ridiculous, but each package of 420 was around $5.00. Don't you just love that adorable hedgehog?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbamey1q7smLpYkml0wtRAplLP4eFCh5ZlGR3VAPOoPgNR1VuizrlgWhiwd5oTcGBiFJxHglRJurmKLEtv1ISu6wrgCqIc70x6BBz3MlriJnDP8HtLwUybaTiWm2KqrpjdstVfFvKXRT8m/s1600/photo+%25281%2529+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbamey1q7smLpYkml0wtRAplLP4eFCh5ZlGR3VAPOoPgNR1VuizrlgWhiwd5oTcGBiFJxHglRJurmKLEtv1ISu6wrgCqIc70x6BBz3MlriJnDP8HtLwUybaTiWm2KqrpjdstVfFvKXRT8m/s400/photo+%25281%2529+-+Copy.JPG" width="297" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have almost a thousand books. Yes, it's an addiction. I want my students to be surrounded by books and WANT to read them. Know a better way to help them become better readers? :) Here's sampling of what I have to organize:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p5vn3eWxCIqDfAHCx2_BPiJ-DNLvfwFUsSI7TQ5nJtRTvT0q-s8JgFdTaBaJxeJnjvXG6xshKYW0g7jxLQv3ICzVyTHFVfPOMq2tsZOdWUNPA6wyfcICQ6NN2sUwI1_OwOpprcIGu6ei/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p5vn3eWxCIqDfAHCx2_BPiJ-DNLvfwFUsSI7TQ5nJtRTvT0q-s8JgFdTaBaJxeJnjvXG6xshKYW0g7jxLQv3ICzVyTHFVfPOMq2tsZOdWUNPA6wyfcICQ6NN2sUwI1_OwOpprcIGu6ei/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6e_c9fSn0VuOmfzrpln5TkaqYRfyDL3UmC0j90oV4xgf7Gngbht0ijDj0g0zG4upqcSobHzCJ0yJi_0yhL32enuku3AyMglSIb7YXV26hqnazI0nUgHNNMEblhTn97hvJ3a0g27Poi7i/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6e_c9fSn0VuOmfzrpln5TkaqYRfyDL3UmC0j90oV4xgf7Gngbht0ijDj0g0zG4upqcSobHzCJ0yJi_0yhL32enuku3AyMglSIb7YXV26hqnazI0nUgHNNMEblhTn97hvJ3a0g27Poi7i/s320/photo+(3).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have more than that, but you get the idea....! Next stop will be the Dollar store for some cute book bins. I've been all over Teachers Pay Teachers for some book bin labels. I don't want something fussy, too young, or boring. When I find them, I'll print each tag twice so I can put one tag on my bin and one tag on the shelf it belongs. That will help the kids (and me) know where each bin belongs!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I also made a sign. I decided to call it my "book nook". </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lYbGx8w0vTbZDRYvSa2vkNp5mBJfVxfk54A0NEBjbfauRQgUEXBl3XbT_bcuj5KpJGfHBSTULSSippduesqFoeZrBSrl_pKE7O2SjDcqXlcph-kQ2uVnvxzqDUEgQcDxwHXro_2wS834/s1600/photo+%25282%2529+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7lYbGx8w0vTbZDRYvSa2vkNp5mBJfVxfk54A0NEBjbfauRQgUEXBl3XbT_bcuj5KpJGfHBSTULSSippduesqFoeZrBSrl_pKE7O2SjDcqXlcph-kQ2uVnvxzqDUEgQcDxwHXro_2wS834/s400/photo+%25282%2529+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yikes. So much to do, and so little time.....!! If I were so fortunate as to live by the beach, I'd get even less done!</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-69557568302016627402012-06-25T20:23:00.000-05:002012-06-25T20:23:34.866-05:00License and Graduation!!!<div align="center">
My diploma has arrived. It looks wonderful! Better yet, I received my Nebraska teaching certificate today. Yippee!!! I am now licensed to teach K-8th grade in Nebraska. Now to find a job. Sigh. !</div>
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I've been teaching at the Phoenix Academy for the month of June. Four weeks of summer school is a pretty good amount of time. It's just enough to gain more experience and earn a little money, but I'll still have the month of July with my kids before school begins once again. Wouldn't it be great fun to spend the month preparing for my new job? :)</div>
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Summer school at the Phoenix Academy is an awesome learning experience. Not only have I been trained in Spaulding Phonics, but I have also needed to create lessons for children who struggle mightly with reading and math. It's a really neat school. The faculty really care about the kids. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Some of my students will enroll in the fall and that makes my heart smile. I know their needs will be met and they will be able to return to their "regular school" on top of their game. The holes in their education will be filled. </div>
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Here's my link: <a href="http://amygillespie.weebly.com/">http://amygillespie.weebly.com/</a><br />
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My website contains my resume, letters of reference, student teaching bits, and favorite resources. I pulled the best anchor charts and photos I could find to show my potential employers. <br />
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Psst...it's also completely free! Gotta love free!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-23951041693466164902012-06-13T15:54:00.000-05:002012-06-13T15:54:04.210-05:00Summer SchoolMy first official job began: summer school! I was trained the end of May and began on June 4th. I am teaching intensive phonics (the Spaulding method) and math for 4 weeks. It may turn into a full time job this fall (fingers crossed).....the kids are sweet and we are filling their brains with awesome reading tools. :) <br />
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I still have not heard from any other schools(for the fall) and I feel a little anxious...I'm the type of person who likes to have all of her ducks lined up nice and neat in a row...!!! If I do not get a full time job, I'll reapply with the dozen or so districts as a substitute. I've heard that's the way to go if you can't get on full time.....<br />
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Grateful for the part time job and afternoons off.....Hmmmm, this would be great year round!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-26417504732632951602012-04-27T16:27:00.002-05:002012-04-27T16:27:43.106-05:00Poetry<div align="center">
We've been digging into poetry and have had loads of fun reading them. After writing our own rhyming poems, we decided to give 2 other poetry forms a try. The first one is a limerick. Here is our class limerick poem:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><strong>Candy Shop</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There once was a girl named Mandy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And sometimes she ate too much candy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was a real treat,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To have something so sweet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The candy store sure was handy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rules are as follows: 5 lines; lines 1, 2, and 5 all rhyme; lines 3 and 4 also rhyme. They loved this!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here is our class alphabet poem:</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Our Class</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Busy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Classmates</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everything</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forever</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Notice the rule? You begin with any letter of the alphabet and create one word per line with the next letter. Oh, and it needs to "tell a story" or make sense. Fun times!</span></div>
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We've been learning about the Presidents and writing about them. The kids learned a song and like to sing it rather loudly! :) You'll find the song in the post below. Anyhow, here's the anchor chart I made for them:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LH3iTmmp9OOu1J2iMpz4mctpAH3PgZ_j0rTrYMAmy9j0CdtgFD9VcGyCBaWlOAeinKyTGwAuPGewj4Dse7nkDNLEB4rpyxbzvV7ou-0TkKrRQa_ta7qBit0o9fRkmJfli9QZbldBMleK/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LH3iTmmp9OOu1J2iMpz4mctpAH3PgZ_j0rTrYMAmy9j0CdtgFD9VcGyCBaWlOAeinKyTGwAuPGewj4Dse7nkDNLEB4rpyxbzvV7ou-0TkKrRQa_ta7qBit0o9fRkmJfli9QZbldBMleK/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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The end of the song goes like this: "Thank you God for our 43 presidents; it's for them we pray". I hope you practice it at home! Yes, the song will stick in your head, but that's a GOOD thing! </div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-89183217682205675532012-04-27T15:17:00.004-05:002012-04-27T15:17:39.418-05:00President's SongHere is our class singing the President's Song. The recording is not great, but it's the best we could do at this point!
<object width="148" height="44"><param name="movie" value="http://vocaroo.com/player.swf?playMediaID=s0lSvNxcNf0u&autoplay=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://vocaroo.com/player.swf?playMediaID=s0lSvNxcNf0u&autoplay=0" width="148" height="44" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br><a href="http://vocaroo.com" style="font-size:xx-small;" title="Voice Recorder">Voice Recorder >></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-82688068747244166132012-04-26T22:16:00.000-05:002012-04-26T22:16:02.467-05:00The White House<div style="text-align: center;">
We've been studying the White House and our Presidents. The kiddos are researching some of our Presidents and we are reading about them together. We took a trip through the White House courtesy of the Google Art Project. Click <a href="http://www.googleartproject.com/collection/the-white-house/museumview/" target="_blank">White House Tour</a> and you can go with us! Once you are "in", you can zoom in on art and see the origin, name, and other facts. The site also has multiple famous art museums. Who needs vacations anymore? Just kidding. Enjoy!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-42662863057394023552012-04-14T19:06:00.001-05:002012-04-14T19:06:37.371-05:00Measurement and ME<div style="text-align: center;">
Our class is taking a wonderfullly refreshing break from regular math. I can still hear the cheers from the students. We are embarking on a measurement journey and enjoying ourselves immensely! On day one, students wandered about the room with their partner, a measuring worksheet, a ruler, and a pencil. They had the freedom to measure anything they wanted except for the area around the teacher's desks (I had visions of computers flying, papers scattering, and general chaos!). The students were fabulously behaved and their feedback was very positive. Hands on activities are so neat, aren't they?</div>
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Anyhow, here are the anchor charts I created for our unit. We refer to them every day!</div>
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Gallon Man is very effective. We can easily tell how many cups are in a pint or quart, how many quarts are in a gallon, and we are even talking about how many pints are in a half gallon! Thank you, Gallon Man! I got this idea from Pinterest and simply tweaked it to fit our needs.</div>
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We are also memorizing this information! Up next: metric measurement! This topic has always confused me, so you can be sure an anchor chart will be made to help cement our knowledge!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-36393461516621515332012-04-13T15:53:00.000-05:002012-04-13T15:53:53.167-05:00St. Paul's Cathedral<div style="text-align: center;">
We talked about church symbols in religion today, and I took the children on a field trip. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England. Oh, you're right, it wasn't a REAL field trip, just a virtual tour. The children really enjoyed the spectacular moving images and different views from each part of the massive cathedral. They noticed different details and all wanted to jump on a plane to actually tour this impressive structure. All of them begged for the link, so here it is: <a href="http://www.sphericalimages.com/stpauls/">http://www.sphericalimages.com/stpauls/</a></div>
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If that doesn't work, here's the link to St. Paul's: <a href="http://www.stpauls.co.uk/">http://www.stpauls.co.uk/</a> Just click on "visits and events" and then "virtual tour". </div>
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One hint: you might get dizzy. :) You've been warned! Enjoy!!!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-55798227312114917132012-04-10T20:56:00.000-05:002012-04-10T20:56:51.810-05:00Phonics Anchor Chart<div style="text-align: center;">
I cannot tell a lie - I love anchor charts. No, I REALLY love anchor charts. I am a visual person, and I think most kids like to see their learning on display as well. Anchor charts also help me look good, because they remind me of what's what! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuUh5T5Z9CaKgi5D8KfccXI3BdH3PqCKr-KkkqukGkxRsubWdUTSzhAH4BjVXhbWGp_L8fMZFdpamrg71UFjEeIcc0G44RPl8FgTxrubL-gsqTXqVyMKE87jeGCwglddSHodP2KycNmzv/s1600/photo+(1)+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuUh5T5Z9CaKgi5D8KfccXI3BdH3PqCKr-KkkqukGkxRsubWdUTSzhAH4BjVXhbWGp_L8fMZFdpamrg71UFjEeIcc0G44RPl8FgTxrubL-gsqTXqVyMKE87jeGCwglddSHodP2KycNmzv/s320/photo+(1)+-+Copy.JPG" width="249" /></a></div>
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It was actually fun (really?) to study vowel pairs, vowel digraphs, and diphthongs. I'm not kidding! I combed through their book to make this chart in order to put all of the information onto one chart. We had this chart up for 2 weeks and referred to it during each lesson. One day, we had to identify the long a sound in words and the kiddos were thrown for a loop when there were no vowel pair words. I pointed to the chart and asked them which sound also makes the long a sound? The lightbulbs went off in their little brains when they looked at the "ei" vowel digraph. Gotta love those charts!!!!! And bonus: they all performed excellently on their phonics test! :)</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-87324279437911222272012-04-09T18:51:00.000-05:002012-04-09T18:51:47.427-05:00Book Review<div style="text-align: center;">
The 3rd grade class has had lots of fun learning about writing, specifically how to write a Book Review. We took about two weeks and marched right through all of the steps. The final products are ready for tomorrow's peer presentations. I'm looking forward to that! I think it will be the perfect activity after we come back from our ballpark field trip. Imagine trying to accomplish a serious math lesson instead!</div>
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The steps are easy: We chose a book, created a story map, answered specific questions for each of our 3 paragraphs, participated in a peer review, edited, and finally wrote our final draft complete with an illustration (or two). Whew! They gave their opinions, talked about what the character learned, and tried not to give away the ending. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GK5pls4kud-doB0365PxR8DNUo_Fuybr-VLu8eAdEKbo0u4xLhnNHPjJyO9dgvML4Z8ZxMqqXLgL6FHM_neXo_C1VFkiy5G026D-CnNg8Fuxnxx6eR94v2at5M5SXxz8WXsYKrv0-eRO/s1600/Book+Review+Title+page.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GK5pls4kud-doB0365PxR8DNUo_Fuybr-VLu8eAdEKbo0u4xLhnNHPjJyO9dgvML4Z8ZxMqqXLgL6FHM_neXo_C1VFkiy5G026D-CnNg8Fuxnxx6eR94v2at5M5SXxz8WXsYKrv0-eRO/s320/Book+Review+Title+page.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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Here is the link for my free download: <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Book-Review" target="_blank">My Book Review</a></div>
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I melt for student artwork and here are a couple of examples from our final book review:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhtF3G-7RBvWAZSreGTe7pFafuYFvDOJZUTKDrIFwXSte3159yk_y2jSEl1DhorEqZUszME8GCxjz22aIl3mkujrH53L62RC2fwk52y6_3e1yamd1JrvptFGeMXI7DcD1BSDsG-mci2MM/s1600/4-9-2012+111041+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhtF3G-7RBvWAZSreGTe7pFafuYFvDOJZUTKDrIFwXSte3159yk_y2jSEl1DhorEqZUszME8GCxjz22aIl3mkujrH53L62RC2fwk52y6_3e1yamd1JrvptFGeMXI7DcD1BSDsG-mci2MM/s320/4-9-2012+111041+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo the Lightning Bug - 3rd grade girl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXLDWjdyMYVifns3YS2I166g604GDKce-AVINIBUNkCjx0kHEWE4IjQUfoC_tNNYhsreyQufweKD4bG5bw690UBFg8g85ZDJmq8v8nEf29T-uCSenj-rlIjP9XOmuaHz5vqj0eqYb77GM/s1600/4-9-2012+111105+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXLDWjdyMYVifns3YS2I166g604GDKce-AVINIBUNkCjx0kHEWE4IjQUfoC_tNNYhsreyQufweKD4bG5bw690UBFg8g85ZDJmq8v8nEf29T-uCSenj-rlIjP9XOmuaHz5vqj0eqYb77GM/s320/4-9-2012+111105+AM.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diary of a Wimpy Kid - 3rd grade boy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcz_xQ3B-I3w1__PGhzzvhGLto6Obr1vVKXPSUdRduhM4YQOPdtWQiyrf8Rw4DdLCjSb3cUXHCvCeulowxdRmFk1C1bcNKSCKMGd5zorTguWE7S6qq5Wm2-E5kdLIKbxTkfMEX0MEaVaY/s1600/4-9-2012+111120+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcz_xQ3B-I3w1__PGhzzvhGLto6Obr1vVKXPSUdRduhM4YQOPdtWQiyrf8Rw4DdLCjSb3cUXHCvCeulowxdRmFk1C1bcNKSCKMGd5zorTguWE7S6qq5Wm2-E5kdLIKbxTkfMEX0MEaVaY/s320/4-9-2012+111120+AM.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Love You Blue Kangaroo - 3rd grade girl<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Aren't they great? I'm so proud of them!!! We're planning on displaying them on our classroom bulletin board which is in the hallway outside of our room. What's up next? A Book Report of a non-fiction book! Let the good times roll!</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6509007731193144561.post-69932890663259029142012-04-02T18:51:00.002-05:002012-04-02T18:58:36.187-05:00Fuzzies<div style="text-align: center;">
Yep, I'm bribing the 3rd grade. I have taken over the class for the month of April. I think it's ok, bribary that is, - I'm just calling it "rewarding for positive behavior". :) </div>
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A returning theme during our pursuasive writing unit was an intense desire for a root beer float (yum!). I decided to use this knowledge to my advantage. I bought a clear plastic jar and 2 packages of fuzzies at the dollar store (if you're counting, that's 3 bucks!). I counted the number of student teaching days I have left and counted out enough fuzzies to fill my jar. The kiddos need about 7 fuzzies per day to have our root beer float party. </div>
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How do you get a fuzzy? It's basically doing what you should be doing in the first place. But to spell it out, the <strong>CLASS</strong> as a whole needs to do one of the following (most of these are available to them multiple times per day): </div>
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1. work quietly during morning work</div>
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2. be ready for our lesson quickly (they know what that means on their desk)</div>
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3. listen and participate during our lesson</div>
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4. line up and walk quietly</div>
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5. come back to class quietly and ready to work</div>
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6. bathroom break is orderly</div>
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7. another teacher compliments the class!</div>
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I (or my CT) am impressed with you!</div>
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We started this today and the class was really excited. My jar is on my desk (with only a few lonely fuzzies so far!) and the sign is by our whiteboard in the front of the room. Fingers crossed!</div>
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I'm not looking for perfection, just a little incentive to keep everyone focused during the end of the year. The class has 17 boys (and 6 girls) and a game of sorts will really help (I hope!). I'll be so sad to leave them at the end of April! We really are having such a grand time.....</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09086131666118097120noreply@blogger.com0